Understanding the Penang undersea tunnel project

• UPDATED AUG 7 | This guide was first published on Jan 24, 2018, and has been updated to reflect the latest developments.

KINIGUIDE | In January 2018, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) began its probe on the Penang undersea tunnel project with a series of high profile arrests.

Politics immediately came into play, with the then Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng on the defensive against a slew of allegations by Gerakan and MCA leaders.

This instalment of KiniGuide will sift through the noise and provide the backstory behind the mega-project, based on information from Penang’s Public Accounts Committee and documents tabled to the Penang legislative assembly in 2016.

1. What exactly is the undersea tunnel?

The undersea tunnel is a 7.2km tunnel that connects George Town on Penang Island to Butterworth on the mainland.

It is just one component of the ambitious Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP) which was planned as far back as 2011.

The undersea tunnel is part of a package deal - the company that wins the bid would also have to build two roads connecting Gurney Drive and Air Itam to the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway and another paired road connecting Tanjung Bungah to Teluk Bahang.